ASFAE Asociación de Directivos Superiores de las Facultades de Administración, Negocios o Empresariales
Autores: Pintoa, P., Knightsc, P., Hineb, D.
Palabras Clave: R&D consortia, governance, technology transfer, mining industry.
Publicly funded R&D consortia are an important worldwide governmental policy instrument, but there is a disconnection between desirable public policy and the actual mechanics of their design and maintenance. In countries such as Australia, these long-term concerns for effective design and implementation of publicly funded R&D consortia have prompted numerous policy interventions, which have been designed to bring industries, universities, and governmental agencies closer together in a traditional triple helix model.
However, the performance of R&D consortia that have resulted from policy interventions in Australia has been equivocal to date and more research is needed. This paper addresses this gap by presenting a longitudinal single-case study of the longest running and Australia’s first government/industry funded mining R&D consortium, CRCMining. This study reviews how CRCMining has evolved from an initial research-driven organisation into an industry-driven one by adapting its governance, funding, and IP structures over time. In this process, CRCMining’s technology transfer model has also evolved from an earlier focus on commercialising its technologies via establishing a number of operating spinoff companies, to a direct licencing approach. This model was found to be more appropriate to the industry and to the requirements of its members, particularly original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), as it also reduced cash expenditures and internal tensions and created less management distractions. However, high cash-outlays, lengthy development times, and limited funding for producing fully- commercial products and for introducing technologies in existing mining operations have hindered the ability of CRCMining to accelerate the pace of innovation. Practical implications are discussed.